A deep water submarine cable laying apparatus and method

Abstract

The application relates to a deep-water sea cable laying equipment and a laying method, and relates to the technical field of sea cable laying equipment. The laying equipment comprises a laying vehicle body and a traction vehicle body, the bottom of the laying vehicle body and the traction vehicle body is provided with walking tracks, the traction vehicle body is provided with a monitoring module for investigating the road conditions of the traveling direction of the traction vehicle body, the traction vehicle body is provided with a control module, the walking tracks are controlled by the control module, the control module is in communication connection with the monitoring module, the control module controls the walking tracks to change speed or turn based on the detection data of the monitoring module, the traction vehicle body is connected with the laying vehicle body, and the traction vehicle body drags the traveling direction of the laying vehicle body; a fixing cavity is formed in the laying vehicle body, a plurality of positioning frames for fixing the sea cable are arranged in the fixing cavity, and a throwing groove is formed in the bottom wall of the fixing cavity. The application has the effects of simplifying the deep-water sea cable laying process and improving the precision of the deep-water sea cable laying.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of submarine cable laying equipment technology, and in particular to a deep-water submarine cable laying equipment and laying method. Background Technology

[0002] Submarine cables are cables wrapped in insulating materials and laid on the seabed for telecommunications transmission. They are mainly used in offshore wind power, offshore oil and gas extraction, and power and communication transmission between land and islands. Because they need to be used in the seabed environment, submarine cables must have good water resistance, mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and marine organism resistance to ensure that their service life meets engineering requirements.

[0003] In related technologies, submarine cable laying typically involves using construction vessels carrying cables. When the cable is a certain distance from the shore, it is launched into the sea. Buoyancy devices are fixed to the cable at intervals, allowing it to float on the surface. A traction device on shore pulls the floating cable to the shore and secures it. The buoyancy devices are then removed, and the cable sinks to the seabed under its own weight. The laying vessel proceeds along a predetermined route, using underwater monitoring equipment to provide real-time feedback on the laying progress and adjust the vessel's speed, direction, and cable lowering speed according to the conditions. However, this laying process is only suitable for submarine cable laying in relatively shallow waters. In deep waters, due to the greater depth of the cable sinking, it is easily deviated from the planned laying path by ocean currents, resulting in poor accuracy in cable laying. Therefore, improvements are needed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To simplify the deep-water submarine cable laying process and improve the accuracy of deep-water submarine cable laying, this application provides a deep-water submarine cable laying equipment and laying method.

[0005] Firstly, the deep-water submarine cable laying equipment provided in this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A deep-water submarine cable laying equipment includes a laying vehicle and a traction vehicle. Both the laying and traction vehicles have lifting rings on their top walls and tracks on their bottoms. The traction vehicle is equipped with a monitoring module to detect road conditions in its direction of travel. A control module is located within the traction vehicle, controlling the tracks. The control module is communicatively connected to the monitoring module and controls the tracks to change speed or turn based on the monitoring data. The traction vehicle is connected to the laying vehicle and pulls the laying vehicle in its direction of travel. A fixing cavity is formed within the laying vehicle, containing several positioning frames for securing the submarine cable. A magnetic attraction device is located on the top wall of the fixing cavity, and the positioning frames are magnetically attracted to the magnetic attraction device. A delivery slot is formed through the bottom wall of the fixing cavity.

[0007] By adopting the above technical solution, the winch mechanism on the laying vessel can lower the laying vehicle and the traction vehicle to the seabed through the lifting ring, achieving a stable laying and retrieval effect. Under the constraint of the positioning frame, the submarine cable will sink to the seabed along with the laying vehicle. Through the traction vehicle, monitoring module and control module, the laying vehicle and the path of the submarine cable can be corrected and adjusted. Several positioning frames can also position the submarine cable at different nodes to prevent the submarine cable from deviating under the scouring of ocean currents, thereby achieving precise laying of the submarine cable.

[0008] Optionally, a traction platform is rotatably connected to the top wall of the traction vehicle body. A traction chamber is formed at the end of the traction platform facing the laying vehicle body. A traction plate is hinged within the traction chamber. One end of the traction plate extends out of the traction chamber and faces the laying vehicle body. A drive cylinder is mounted on the surface of the traction plate. A slider is connected to the piston rod of the drive cylinder. The drive cylinder drives the slider to slide along the length of the traction plate. Positioning plates are mounted on both side walls of the slider. A locking rod is hinged to the end of the positioning plate away from the slider. A reset component is provided at the hinge point between the positioning plate and the locking rod, ensuring that the locking rod remains facing away from the traction plate. The traction plate has two locking rods (two types) hinged to its surface near the laying vehicle body. Locking rods (one and two) correspond one-to-one. Two linkage plates are provided on the sidewall of the slider corresponding to the locking rods (two types). These linkage plates are hinged to one end of the locking rods (two types). A bent portion is provided at the end of the locking rod (two types) away from the traction plate, with the bent portion facing away from the laying vehicle body. One end of the locking rod (one type) is located inside the bent portion. Two sets of traction frames are provided on the sidewall of the laying vehicle body. Each traction frame corresponds to a positioning plate. The traction frame, the corresponding positioning plate, locking rods (one and two), and the traction plate form a closed-loop structure that interlocks with each other.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solution, under the action of the reset component one, the locking rod will rotate in the direction away from the traction plate, so that the locking rod one will always be in a state of tight contact with the bent part. At this time, the traction frame is interlocked with the closed-loop structure, so that the traction frame cannot fall off the structure, ensuring that the traction point is flexible and movable while having a good locking effect. When the drive cylinder drives the slider to move in the direction away from the laying vehicle body, the slider will drive the locking rod two to rotate through the linkage plate. The rotation direction is towards the laying vehicle body. At the same time, the sliding of the slider will also drive the positioning plate and the locking rod one away from the laying vehicle body. At this time, under the action of the reset component one, the locking rod one and the locking rod two can be separated, so that the traction vehicle body and the laying vehicle body can be separated quickly, which is convenient for implementation. At the same time, the traction platform can turn relative to the traction vehicle body. The traction plate and the traction platform are essentially hinged, which can realize multi-directional turning, thereby effectively positioning the laying vehicle body and playing an effective traction role, which has a convenient and practical effect.

[0010] Optionally, the traction frame includes two connecting rods and one vertical rod. Both connecting rods are horizontally connected to the side wall of the laying vehicle and are arranged vertically. The vertical rod is connected between the two connecting rods and passes through the closed-loop structure formed by the corresponding positioning plate, locking rod one, locking rod two, and traction plate. A pressure-sensitive resistor is provided on the surface of the vertical rod, and the control module transmits electrical signals to the track on the laying vehicle through the pressure-sensitive resistor on the surface of the vertical rod.

[0011] By adopting the above technical solution, the combination of two connecting rods and vertical rods forms a closed-loop structure with the side wall of the laying vehicle. After being connected to the traction vehicle, it can effectively prevent the traction vehicle from becoming detached from the laying vehicle, thus playing a good traction and guiding role. A pressure-sensitive resistor is set on the periphery of the vertical rod, so that the electrical signal of the control module can be transmitted stably and timely to the track of the laying vehicle, realizing the rapid response of the laying vehicle.

[0012] Optionally, the locking rod two has an anti-detachment groove on the side wall away from the laying vehicle body, and an anti-detachment rod is rotatably connected in the anti-detachment groove. The anti-detachment rod is bent near the bend, and the bending direction of the anti-detachment rod is consistent with the direction of the bend. The locking rod one abuts against the inner wall of the bend of the anti-detachment rod. A reset member two is provided at the hinge of the anti-detachment rod and the locking rod two. The reset member two keeps the anti-detachment rod rotating towards the traction plate.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, when the locking rod one rotates towards the traction plate under the influence of the ocean current, the anti-detachment rod will extend out of the anti-detachment groove under the action of the reset member two, and continuously abut against the outer wall of the locking rod one through its bend. This avoids the situation where the traction frame becomes loose due to the large gap between the locking rod one and the bend of the locking rod two after the rotation caused by the large ocean current, thus further improving the stability of the traction vehicle body of this application for traction of the laying vehicle body.

[0014] Optionally, the bottom wall of the positioning frame is provided with a positioning groove, the top wall of the positioning groove is provided with a lifting cylinder, the piston rod of the lifting cylinder is connected to a positioning motor, and the output shaft of the positioning motor is connected to a positioning drill bit.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, after the positioning frame enters the seabed from the deployment trough, the positioning motor and lifting cylinder are started, driving the positioning drill bit to rotate and drill into the seabed, thereby fixing the positioning frame, improving the problem of the positioning frame deviating due to ocean currents, which in turn causes the submarine cable to deviate from the expected route, and further improving the accuracy of submarine cable laying.

[0016] Optionally, the positioning frame includes an upper frame and a lower frame. The positioning groove is formed on the bottom wall of the lower frame. Both ends of the upper frame and the lower frame are provided with connecting ears. The bottom wall of the connecting ear of the lower frame is provided with a locking cylinder. The piston rod of the locking cylinder passes through the connecting ears of the lower frame and the upper frame in sequence. The piston rod of the locking cylinder is fixedly connected to the connecting ear of the upper frame.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, once the submarine cable is laid, the locking cylinder is activated, which can drive the upper and lower frames to retract, thereby securing the submarine cable passing between the upper and lower frames and further improving the stability and accuracy of the submarine cable laying.

[0018] Optionally, a guide wheel is hinged to the bottom wall of the connecting lug of the lower frame, and a guide cable is wound around the peripheral wall of the guide wheel. One end of the guide cable is connected to the connecting lug of the adjacent lower frame.

[0019] By adopting the above technical solutions, the guide wheel and guide cable can improve the correlation between adjacent positioning frames, thus preventing problems such as the loss of positioning frames.

[0020] Optionally, the laying vehicle is equipped with a ballast water system. Several adjusting plates and adjusting cylinders are hinged to the side walls of the laying vehicle, with each adjusting cylinder and adjusting plate corresponding to the other. Several steering impellers are provided on the adjusting plates. Both the steering impellers and the adjusting cylinders are electrically connected to the control module. The piston rod of the adjusting cylinder is hinged to the bottom wall of the corresponding adjusting plate. A level detection module is provided on the surface of the laying vehicle. The level detection module is communicatively connected to the control module to detect the level value of the laying vehicle during the sinking process in real time and send it to the control module. The control module controls the opening and closing of the adjusting cylinders and steering impellers based on the detection value of the level detection module.

[0021] By adopting the above technical solutions, the ballast water system can increase the self-weight of the laying vehicle, thereby making the sinking of the laying vehicle more stable. During the sinking process, the level detection module monitors the levelness of the laying vehicle in real time, and adjusts the laying vehicle in a timely manner by adjusting the cylinder and steering impeller, so that the laying vehicle can sink stably into the seabed. This prevents the laying vehicle from overturning, which would prevent the laying operation from being carried out and would require repeated lifting and adjustment of the laying vehicle by the winch mechanism. This can effectively improve the efficiency and accuracy of the overall submarine cable laying construction.

[0022] Optionally, the bottom wall of the laying vehicle is equipped with several high-pressure water guns.

[0023] By adopting the above technical solution, the high-pressure water gun can sweep away the silt on the seabed during the laying vehicle's movement, forming a groove that can be used for laying submarine cables. This ensures that the submarine cables can be laid more stably. After a certain period of time, the silt on the seabed will cover the groove again, which can further stabilize the laying effect of the submarine cables.

[0024] Secondly, this application provides a method for laying deep-water submarine cables, comprising the following steps:

[0025] The laying vessel sails to the submarine cable laying location, and the laying vehicle and traction vehicle are hoisted by the hoisting mechanism on the laying vessel. One end of the submarine cable is fixed by a steel wire rope, which passes through the positioning frame inside the laying vehicle in sequence. The other end of the steel wire rope passes under the landing terminal, and after passing over the top of the landing terminal, it is reconnected to the hoisting mechanism. The preparation work is completed.

[0026] Piling is performed on the login terminal, and a fan electrical unit is installed on the login terminal;

[0027] The laying vehicle and the traction vehicle are lowered toward the seabed by the winch mechanism. During the lowering process, the level of the laying vehicle is adjusted in real time by the ballast water system of the laying vehicle and the steering impeller on the adjustment plate until the laying vehicle and the traction vehicle sink to the seabed smoothly. After the sinking is completed, the hoisting wire rope of the traction vehicle is released and it is retrieved.

[0028] The laying vessel travels along a predetermined route, and the turntable on the laying vessel continuously unwinds the submarine cable. The tractor body drives the laying vehicle to travel on the seabed. The monitoring module detects obstacles on the travel path in real time, and the control module adjusts the speed of the walking track to change direction and avoid obstacles.

[0029] The high-pressure water gun on the bottom wall of the laying vehicle sweeps the seabed silt into a groove. When the laying vehicle moves to the preset fixed node, the magnetic attraction device will release the attraction of the positioning frame at the rear of the laying vehicle, so that the positioning frame can sink into the groove. The lifting cylinder and positioning motor are started, driving the positioning drill bit to move and fix the positioning frame.

[0030] Repeat the above steps until only one positioning frame remains in the laying vehicle body;

[0031] Activate the locking cylinder to retract the upper and lower frames, thereby securing the submarine cable and reducing the degree of displacement;

[0032] When the laying vessel reaches the near shore, it will travel in an S-shape to lay the remaining part of the submarine cable. The end of the submarine cable is equipped with a snap-fit ​​structure to prevent the cable from falling off the last positioning frame. The tractor will then pull the laying vehicle and the end of the submarine cable to land, where shore-based workers will connect the end of the cable to the landing point.

[0033] Once the connection is complete, the laying vehicle and the tractor vehicle are retrieved, and the construction is finished.

[0034] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0035] 1. The hoisting mechanism on the laying vessel can lower the laying vehicle and the traction vehicle to the seabed through the lifting ring, achieving a stable laying and retrieval effect. Under the constraint of the positioning frame, the submarine cable will sink to the seabed along with the laying vehicle. Through the traction vehicle, monitoring module and control module, the laying vehicle and the path of the submarine cable can be corrected and adjusted. Several positioning frames can also position the submarine cable at different nodes to prevent the submarine cable from deviating under the scouring of ocean currents, thereby achieving precise laying of the submarine cable.

[0036] 2. By setting up a tractor vehicle, obstacles encountered on the path can be known in advance before the laying vehicle arrives, allowing the laying vehicle to avoid them in time. Since the tractor vehicle is smaller in size and weight than the laying vehicle, if the tractor vehicle gets stuck in a ground depression, it can also be freed by the laying vehicle, which improves the efficiency of the laying operation.

[0037] 3. Because the traction frame is interlocked with the closed-loop structure, it cannot be detached from the structure, ensuring that the traction point is flexible and movable while having a good locking effect, which can achieve a stable traction effect of the traction vehicle body on the laying vehicle body.

[0038] 4. A varistor is installed on the periphery of the vertical pole to ensure that the electrical signal of the control module can be transmitted stably and timely to the track of the laying vehicle, so as to realize the rapid response of the laying vehicle. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a deep-water submarine cable laying method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0040] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a deep-water submarine cable laying equipment in an embodiment of this application.

[0041] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A magnified view of a section at point B.

[0042] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of the communication connection structure of the control module in the embodiments of this application.

[0043] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 A magnified view of a portion of point A in the middle.

[0044] Figure 6 This is a top view of the traction plate in an embodiment of this application.

[0045] Figure 7 This is an exploded structural diagram of locking rod one, locking rod two, and positioning plate in the embodiments of this application.

[0046] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the submarine cable laying equipment in the embodiments of this application.

[0047] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional view of the positioning frame in an embodiment of this application.

[0048] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Laying vehicle body; 11. Fixing cavity; 12. Magnetic suction device; 13. Dispensing slot; 14. Traction frame; 141. Connecting rod; 142. Vertical rod; 15. Ballast water system; 16. Adjusting plate; 161. Steering impeller; 17. Adjusting cylinder; 18. Horizontal detection module; 19. High-pressure water gun; 2. Traction vehicle body; 21. Monitoring module; 22. Traction platform; 221. Traction cavity; 23. Traction plate; 231. Drive cylinder; 232. Slider; 233. Positioning plate; 234. Locking rod one; 235. Reset component one; 236. Locking rod two ; 2361, Anti-detachment groove; 2362, Anti-detachment rod; 2363, Reset component two; 237, Linkage plate; 238, Bending part; 3, Lifting ring; 4, Walking track; 5, Control module; 6, Positioning frame; 61, Upper frame; 62, Lower frame; 621, Positioning groove; 622, Lifting cylinder; 623, Positioning motor; 624, Positioning drill bit; 63, Connecting ear; 64, Locking cylinder; 65, Guide wheel; 66, Guide cable; 7, Laying vessel; 71, Winching mechanism; 72, Wire rope; 73, Ground turntable; 8, Submarine cable; 9, Landing terminal; 10, Landing start point. Detailed Implementation

[0049] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-9 This application will be described in further detail.

[0050] This application discloses a deep-water submarine cable laying equipment. (Refer to...) Figure 1 and Figure 2 The system includes a laying vehicle body 1 and a traction vehicle body 2. The top walls of both the laying vehicle body 1 and the traction vehicle body 2 are welded together with lifting rings 3. The lifting rings 3 are connected to the wire ropes 72 of the winch mechanism 71, thereby enabling the laying vehicle body 1 and the traction vehicle body 2 to be lowered to the seabed. The laying vehicle body 1 is equipped with a ballast water system 15. The ballast water system 15 can flexibly change the weight of the laying vehicle body 1 by adjusting the ballast water entering the laying vehicle body 1. When the laying vehicle body 1 is being lowered, ballast water is introduced to increase the weight of the laying vehicle body 1, so that the laying vehicle body 1 and the traction vehicle body 2 can be lowered stably. When the laying vehicle body 1 needs to be retrieved, the ballast water is discharged to reduce the weight of the laying vehicle body 1 and reduce the resistance encountered by the winch mechanism 71 when lifting the laying vehicle body 1.

[0051] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4Two adjusting plates 16 and adjusting cylinders 17 are hinged to the side walls of the laying vehicle body 1 along both length directions. The adjusting cylinders 17 and adjusting plates 16 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence. The base of the adjusting cylinder 17 is hinged to the side wall of the laying vehicle body 1, while its piston rod is hinged to the bottom wall of the corresponding adjusting plate 16. Two steering impellers 161 are provided on the adjusting plate 16. A control module 5 is provided inside the traction vehicle body 2. In this embodiment, the control module 5 can be a PLC controller or an MCU controller to control the opening and closing of various electrical components on the laying vehicle body 1 and the traction vehicle body 2. The steering impellers 161 and adjusting cylinders 17 are both connected to the control module 5. The control module 5 is electrically connected, and a level detection module 18 is installed on the surface of the laying vehicle body 1. The level detection module 18 adopts a level and is communicatively connected to the control module 5 to detect the level value of the laying vehicle body 1 in real time during the sinking process and send it to the control module 5. The control module 5 controls the opening and closing of the adjustment cylinder 17 and the steering impeller 161 based on the detection value of the level detection module 18. That is, if the laying vehicle body 1 tilts, the angle of the steering impeller 161 can be adjusted to provide reverse push, so that the laying vehicle body 1 returns to a level state, thereby reducing the probability of the laying vehicle body 1 overturning.

[0052] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 4 Both the laying vehicle body 1 and the tractor body 2 are equipped with running tracks 4 at their bottom. The running tracks 4 are controlled by the control module 5. The control module 5 adjusts the speed of the steering wheels inside the running tracks 4 to realize the speed change and steering of the running tracks 4. The tractor body 2 is equipped with a monitoring module 21. In this embodiment, the monitoring module 21 can be equipped with radar, sensors or other components to detect obstacles in the direction of travel of the tractor body 2. The control module 5 is communicatively connected to the monitoring module 21. The control module 5 controls the running tracks 4 to change speed or turn based on the detection data of the monitoring module 21. If an obstacle or pothole is detected, the tractor body 2 drives the laying vehicle body 1 away from the location. If no obstacle or pothole is detected, the tractor body 2 continues to move forward along the original route.

[0053] Reference Figure 2 The traction vehicle body 2 is used to traction and guide the laying vehicle body 1. The top wall of the traction vehicle body 2 is rotatably connected to the traction platform 22. In this embodiment, a motor is installed inside the traction vehicle body 2. The part of the motor that extends out of the traction vehicle body 2 is connected to the driving gear. The bottom wall of the traction platform 22 is provided with a driven gear. The driven gear is rotatably connected to the traction vehicle body 2. The driving gear and the driven gear are hinged, thereby enabling the traction platform 22 to rotate in the plane direction.

[0054] Reference Figure 2The traction platform 22 has a traction cavity 221 at one end facing the laying vehicle body 1. A rotating seat is provided inside the traction cavity 221, and a traction plate 23 is hinged to the rotating seat. In this embodiment, the traction plate 23 can rotate at a certain angle in the vertical direction under the restriction of the rotating seat. The rotation angle is 0-90°, and the maximum rotation value will depend on the size of the opening of the traction cavity 221 on the top wall of the traction platform 22. One end of the traction plate 23 extends out of the traction cavity 221 and is set towards the laying vehicle body 1. A drive cylinder 231 is welded to the surface of the traction plate 23. The movement direction of the piston rod of the drive cylinder 231 is consistent with the length direction of the traction plate 23. The piston rod of the drive cylinder 231 is set towards the laying vehicle body 1. A slider 232 is welded to the end wall of the piston rod of the drive cylinder 231. Under the drive of the drive cylinder 231, the slider 232 can slide along the length direction of the traction plate 23.

[0055] Reference Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The slider 232 has positioning plates 233 bolted to its two sidewalls along its length. The positioning plates 233 are perpendicular to the slider 232. A locking rod 234 is hinged to the end of the positioning plate 233 away from the slider 232. A reset member 235 is provided at the hinge point between the positioning plate 233 and the locking rod 234. In this embodiment, the reset member 235 is a torsion spring. One end of the spring arm is glued to the positioning plate 233, and the other end of the spring arm is glued to the locking rod 234. Under the action of the reset member 235, the locking rod 234 maintains a rotational tendency away from the traction plate 23. Two locking rods 236 are hinged to the surface of the traction plate 23 near the laying vehicle 1. The two locking rods 236 are symmetrically arranged about the slider 232. The locking rods 234 and the locking rod 235 are connected to the slider 232. The two locking rods 236 correspond one-to-one. Two linkage plates 237 are welded to the side wall of the slider 232. The linkage plates 237 are set to lock the two locking rods 236. The linkage plates 237 are hinged to one end of the locking rods 236. When the slider 232 slides away from the laying vehicle 1, the linkage plates 237 will drive the locking rods 236 to rotate in the direction of the laying vehicle 1. The end of the locking rods 236 away from the traction plate 23 has an integrally formed bent part 238. The bent part 238 is set away from the laying vehicle 1. When the slider 232 is in the initial position, one end of the locking rod 234 is located inside the bent part 238. Under the restriction of the bent part 238, the positioning plate 233, the locking rod 234, the locking rod 236 and the traction plate 23 will form a closed loop structure.

[0056] Reference Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7The locking rod 236 has an anti-detachment groove 2361 on the side wall away from the laying vehicle body 1. An anti-detachment rod 2362 is rotatably connected in the anti-detachment groove 2361. The anti-detachment rod 2362 is close to the bend of the bending part 238, and the bending direction is the same as the direction of the bending part 238. A reset member 2363 is provided at the hinge of the anti-detachment rod 2362 and the locking rod 236. In this embodiment, the reset member 2363 is a torsion spring. One end of its lever arm is connected to the inner wall of the anti-detachment groove 2361 by adhesive, and the other end of its lever arm is connected to the anti-detachment rod 2362 by adhesive. Under the action of the reset member 2363, the anti-detachment rod 2362 always maintains the rotation trend toward the traction plate 23. When the slider 232 is in the initial state, the locking rod 234 abuts against the inner wall of the bend of the anti-detachment rod 2362.

[0057] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 4 Two sets of traction frames 14 are provided on the side wall of the laying vehicle body 1. The traction frames 14 and the positioning plates 233 are arranged one-to-one. The traction frame 14 includes two connecting rods 141 and one vertical rod 142. The two connecting rods 141 are horizontally connected to the side wall of the laying vehicle body 1 by welding. The two connecting rods 141 are distributed vertically. The vertical rod 142 is connected between the two connecting rods 141 by welding. The vertical rod 142, the two connecting rods 141 and the side wall of the laying vehicle body 1 form a closed loop structure. The vertical rod 142 passes through the corresponding positioning plate 233, locking rod one 234 and locking rod two 23. The closed-loop structure formed by the traction plate 23 and the traction plate 23, and the two closed-loop structures interlocking with each other, under the action of the reset component 1 235 and the reset component 2363, the closed-loop structure formed by the combination of the locking rod 1 234 and the locking rod 236 will not produce gaps, so that the traction vehicle body 2 and the laying vehicle body 1 will not become loose, and it has high stability during traction; the vertical rod 142 is provided with a piezoresistor, and the control module 5 transmits electrical signals to the walking track 4 on the laying vehicle body 1 and other components through the piezoresistor on the surface of the vertical rod 142, thereby improving the response efficiency.

[0058] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 8 The laying vehicle body 1 has a fixed cavity 11. The fixed cavity 11 is equipped with several positioning frames 6 for fixing the submarine cable 8. The positioning frames 6 are distributed along the length of the fixed cavity 11. The top wall of the fixed cavity 11 is equipped with a magnetic attraction device 12. The top walls of the positioning frames 6 are all equipped with magnetic components, which can be magnetically attracted to the magnetic attraction device 12. By turning the magnetic attraction device 12 on and off, the positioning frames 6 can be attracted or separated.

[0059] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 9The positioning frame 6 includes an upper frame 61 and a lower frame 62. Magnetic components are connected to the top wall of the upper frame 61. The upper frame 61 and the lower frame 62 are combined to form a closed-loop structure. The bottom wall of the fixing cavity 11 is provided with a delivery slot 13. When the laying vehicle 1 moves to a preset node (e.g., the distance between adjacent nodes can be set to 100m), the positioning frame 6 can be delivered through the delivery slot 13 to lay the submarine cable 8. The bottom wall of the laying vehicle 1 is provided with several high-pressure water guns 19 to flush the silt on the seabed, so that the seabed forms a groove for the submarine cable 8 to be buried, thereby improving the stability of the submarine cable 8 after laying. In this embodiment, the high-pressure water guns 19 can be replaced with electric drills, electric saws, or other devices that can facilitate the laying of the submarine cable 8, depending on the actual geological conditions of the seabed.

[0060] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 9 The bottom wall of the lower frame 62 has two positioning slots 621. The top walls of the two positioning slots 621 are connected to lifting cylinders 622 by welding. The piston rod of the lifting cylinder 622 is set in the vertical direction. The end wall of the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 622 is connected to a positioning motor 623 by welding. The end wall of the output shaft of the positioning motor 623 is connected to a positioning drill bit 624 by welding. When the positioning frame 6 is deployed, the positioning drill bit 624 is used to fix the positioning frame 6.

[0061] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 9 Both ends of the upper frame 61 and the lower frame 62 are integrally formed with horizontally arranged connecting ears 63. The bottom wall of the connecting ears 63 of the lower frame 62 is provided with a locking cylinder 64. The piston rod of the locking cylinder 64 passes through the connecting ears 63 of the lower frame 62 and the upper frame 61 in sequence. The upper end of the piston rod of the locking cylinder 64 is fixedly connected to the connecting ears 63 of the upper frame 61 through a flange. After the submarine cable 8 is laid, the upper frame 61 and the lower frame 62 are retracted by the locking cylinder 64, thereby further securing the submarine cable 8 in the positioning frame 6.

[0062] Reference Figure 9 The bottom wall of the connecting ear 63 of the lower frame 62 is hinged with a guide wheel 65. A guide cable 66 is wound around the periphery of the guide wheel 65. One end of the guide cable 66 is connected to the connecting ear 63 of the next adjacent lower frame 62 in the next delivery sequence to ensure the correlation between adjacent positioning frames 6 and prevent loss.

[0063] The implementation principle of a deep-water submarine cable laying equipment according to this application embodiment is as follows: the hoisting mechanism 71 on the laying vessel 7 can lower the laying vehicle 1 and the traction vehicle 2 to the seabed through the lifting ring 3. Under the restriction of the positioning frame 6, the submarine cable 8 will sink to the seabed along with the laying vehicle 1. Through the traction vehicle 2, the monitoring module 21 and the control module 5, the laying path of the laying vehicle 1 and the submarine cable 8 can be corrected and adjusted. Several positioning frames 6 can also position the submarine cable 8 at different nodes to prevent the submarine cable 8 from deviating under the scouring of ocean currents, thereby achieving precise laying of the submarine cable 8.

[0064] This application also discloses a method for laying deep-water submarine cables, referring to... Figures 1-9 It includes the following steps:

[0065] S1: The laying vessel 7 travels to the laying location of the submarine cable 8. The laying vehicle 1 and the traction vehicle 2 are hoisted by the winch mechanism 71 on the laying vessel 7. The laying vehicle 1 and the traction vehicle 2 are fixed by passing the wire rope 72 through the hoisting ring 3. The end of the wire rope 72 is equipped with an electronic lock, which can unlock the hoisting ring 3. Then, one end of the submarine cable 8 is fixed by the wire rope 72 and passes through the positioning frame 6 inside the laying vehicle 1. The other end of the wire rope 72, with the submarine cable 8, passes under the landing terminal 9. Rollers are set under the landing terminal 9 to reduce wear on the submarine cable 8. After passing the upper end of the landing terminal 9, one end of the wire rope 72 is reconnected to the winch mechanism 71. The preparation work is completed.

[0066] S2: Drive piles into the landing terminal 9 and install the wind turbine electrical unit on the landing terminal 9 so that the wind turbine electrical unit is connected to the submarine cable 8;

[0067] S3: The laying vehicle 1 and the traction vehicle 2 are lowered toward the seabed by the winch mechanism 71. During the lowering process, the ballast water system 15 increases the self-weight of the laying vehicle 1 to achieve stable sinking of the laying vehicle 1. The level detection module 18 detects the level of the laying vehicle 1 in real time. The level of the laying vehicle 1 is adjusted in real time by the steering impeller 161 on the adjustment plate 16 of the laying vehicle 1 until the laying vehicle 1 and the traction vehicle 2 sink to the seabed smoothly. After the sinking is completed, the hoisting wire rope 72 of the traction vehicle 2 is released and it is retrieved.

[0068] S4: The laying vessel 7 travels along the predetermined route. During the travel of the laying vessel 7, the turntable 73 on the laying vessel 7 continuously unwinds the submarine cable 8. The tractor 2 drives the laying vehicle 1 to travel on the seabed. The monitoring module 21 detects obstacles on the travel path in real time. The control module 5 adjusts the speed of the walking track 4 to change direction and bypass obstacles.

[0069] S5: The high-pressure water gun 19 on the bottom wall of the laying vehicle 1 sweeps away the seabed silt, so that the seabed forms a trough for laying the submarine cable 8. When the laying vehicle 1 runs to the preset fixed node, the magnetic attraction device 12 will release the attraction of the positioning frame 6 at the rear of the laying vehicle 1, so that the positioning frame 6 can sink into the trough. The lifting cylinder 622 and the positioning motor 623 are started, driving the positioning drill bit 624 to run and fix the positioning frame 6.

[0070] S6: Repeat the above steps until only one positioning bracket 6 remains inside the vehicle body 1;

[0071] S7: Activate the locking cylinder 64 to retract the upper frame 61 and the lower frame 62, thereby fixing the submarine cable 8 and reducing the offset.

[0072] S8: When the laying vessel 7 reaches the near shore, it will travel in an S-shape to lay the remaining part of the submarine cable 8. The end of the submarine cable 8 is equipped with a snap-fit ​​structure to prevent the submarine cable 8 from falling off the last positioning frame 6. The tractor 2 will drive the laying vehicle 1 and the end of the submarine cable 8 to land, and the shore staff will connect the end of the submarine cable 8 to the landing start 10.

[0073] S9: Once the connection is complete, the laying vehicle body 1 and the traction vehicle body 2 will be recovered via the winch structure, and the construction will be completed.

[0074] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A deep water sea cable laying apparatus characterised in that: Including laying vehicle body (1) and towing vehicle body (2), the laying vehicle body (1) and towing vehicle body (2) top wall are provided with lifting ring (3), the laying vehicle body (1) and towing vehicle body (2) bottom are provided with walking track (4), the towing vehicle body (2) is provided with monitoring module (21), to be used to the road condition of towing vehicle body (2) direction of travel is explored, the towing vehicle body (2) is provided with control module (5), the walking track (4) is controlled to control module (5), control module (5) and monitoring module (21) communication connection, control module (5) is based on the detection data of monitoring module (21) control walking track (4) and change speed or steering, the towing vehicle body (2) is connected with laying vehicle body (1), the towing vehicle body (2) is to the direction of travel of laying vehicle body (1) is towed, the laying vehicle body (1) is provided with fixed cavity (11) in, the fixed cavity (11) is provided with a plurality of for the fixed position frame (6) of submarine cable (8), the fixed cavity (11) top wall is provided with magnetic attraction device (12), a plurality of the position frame (6) is all with magnetic attraction device (12) magnetic attraction, the fixed cavity (11) bottom wall is through the opening of the drop slot (13);The laying vehicle body (1) is provided with ballast water system (15) in, the laying vehicle body (1) side wall is hinged with a plurality of adjusting plate (16) and adjusting cylinder (17), the adjusting cylinder (17) and adjusting plate (16) both one-to-one, the adjusting plate (16) is provided with a plurality of steering impeller (161), the steering impeller (161) and adjusting cylinder (17) are all with control module (5) electric connection, the piston rod of adjusting cylinder (17) is hinged to the bottom wall of corresponding adjusting plate (16), the laying vehicle body (1) surface is provided with horizontal detection module (18), the horizontal detection module (18) and control module (5) communication connection, to be used for real-time detection the horizontal value in the sinking process of laying vehicle body (1) and sends to control module (5), control module (5) is based on the detection value of horizontal detection module (18) control adjusting cylinder (17) and steering impeller (161) opening and closing.

2. A deep water marine cable laying apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that: The traction vehicle body (2) top wall rotationally connected with traction platform (22), the traction platform (22) face to the end of laying vehicle body (1) is equipped with traction cavity (221), the traction cavity (221) in the hinge connection with traction plate (23), the traction plate (23) one end stretches out traction cavity (221) and sets up towards laying vehicle body (1) direction, the traction plate (23) surface is equipped with drive cylinder (231), the piston rod of drive cylinder (231) is connected with slider (232), drive cylinder (231) drives slider (232) to slide along the length direction of traction plate (23), the slider (232) both sides wall is equipped with positioning plate (233), the positioning plate (233) away from slider (232) one end hinge is equipped with locking rod one (234), the hinge of positioning plate (233) and locking rod one (234) is equipped with reset piece one (235), reset piece one (235) makes locking rod one (234) keep the rotation tendency towards the direction away from traction plate (23), the traction plate (23) surface is close to laying vehicle body (1) one end hinge is equipped with two locking rod two (236), locking rod one (234) and locking rod two (236) one to one, the slider (232) side wall is equipped with two pieces of linkage piece (237) corresponding locking rod two (236), the linkage piece (237) and locking rod two (236) one end are hinged, the locking rod two (236) away from traction plate (23) one end is equipped with bending part (238), the bending part (238) is set up towards the direction away from laying vehicle body (1), the one end of locking rod one (234) is located in the inside of bending part (238);The laying vehicle body (1) side wall is equipped with two groups of traction frame (14), the traction frame (14) and positioning plate (233) one to one, the traction frame (14) and corresponding positioning plate (233), locking rod one (234), locking rod two (236) and the closed loop structure that traction plate (23) surrounds each other buckle.

3. A deep water marine cable laying apparatus according to claim 2, characterised in that: The traction frame (14) includes two connecting rods (141) and a vertical rod (142), both the connecting rods (141) are horizontally connected to the side wall of the laying vehicle body (1), and the two connecting rods (141) are distributed in an upper and lower manner. The vertical rod (142) is connected between the two connecting rods (141), passes through the closed loop structure formed by the corresponding positioning plate (233), locking rod one (234), locking rod two (236) and traction plate (23), and is equipped with a pressure-sensitive resistor on the surface. The control module (5) performs electrical signal transmission with the walking track (4) on the laying vehicle body (1) through the pressure-sensitive resistor on the surface of the vertical rod (142).

4. A deep water marine cable laying apparatus according to claim 2, characterised in that: The locking rod two (236) is provided with a anti-falling groove (2361) away from the side wall of the laying vehicle body (1), the anti-falling groove (2361) is rotationally connected with an anti-falling rod (2362), the anti-falling rod (2362) is close to the bend of the bending part (238), the bending direction of the anti-falling rod (2362) is consistent with the direction of the bending part (238), the locking rod one (234) abuts against the inner wall of the bending part of the anti-falling rod (2362), the hinge part of the anti-falling rod (2362) and the locking rod two (236) is provided with a reset member two (2363), the reset member two (2363) makes the anti-falling rod (2362) keep the rotating trend towards the traction plate (23).

5. A deep water marine cable laying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that: The bottom wall of the positioning frame (6) is provided with a positioning groove (621), the top wall of the positioning groove (621) is provided with a lifting cylinder (622), the piston rod of the lifting cylinder (622) is connected with a positioning motor (623), and the output shaft of the positioning motor (623) is connected with a positioning drill bit (624).

6. A deep water marine cable laying apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that: The positioning frame (6) comprises an upper frame body (61) and a lower frame body (62), the positioning groove (621) is arranged on the bottom wall of the lower frame body (62), and the upper frame body (61) and the lower frame body (62) are provided with connecting ears (63) at two ends.

7. A deep water marine cable laying apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that: The bottom wall of the connecting ear (63) of the lower frame body (62) is hingedly connected with a wire wheel (65), the peripheral wall of the wire wheel (65) is wound with a guide cable (66), and one end of the guide cable (66) is connected with the connecting ear (63) of the adjacent lower frame body (62).

8. A deep water marine cable laying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that: The bottom wall of the laying vehicle body (1) is provided with a plurality of high-pressure water guns (19).

9. A method of laying a subsea cable in deep water, characterised by, The method comprises the following steps: The laying ship (7) drives to the submarine cable (8) laying site, the laying vehicle body (1) and the traction vehicle body (2) are hoisted by the hoisting mechanism (71) on the laying ship (7), one end of the submarine cable (8) is fixed by a steel wire rope (72), and then the steel wire rope (72) passes through the positioning frame (6) in the laying vehicle body (1) and then passes through the landing terminal (9) from below, and then the other end of the steel wire rope (72) is connected with the hoisting mechanism (71) again after passing through the upper end of the landing terminal (9), and the preparation work is completed; The landing terminal (9) is piled, and a fan electrical unit is installed on the landing terminal (9); The laying vehicle body (1) and the traction vehicle body (2) are lowered to the sea bottom by the hoisting mechanism (71), during the lowering process, the levelness of the laying vehicle body (1) is adjusted in real time by the ballast water system (15) of the laying vehicle body (1) and the steering impeller (161) on the adjusting plate (16), until the laying vehicle body (1) and the traction vehicle body (2) are stably settled to the sea bottom, and then the hoisting steel wire rope (72) of the traction vehicle body (2) is released and recycled; The laying ship (7) drives along the predetermined route, the geostationary disc (73) on the laying ship (7) continuously unwinds the submarine cable (8), the traction vehicle body (2) drives the laying vehicle body (1) to travel on the seabed, the monitoring module (21) detects obstacles on the travel path in real time, and the control module (5) adjusts the rotating speed of the walking track (4) to realize direction change and bypass the obstacles; The high-pressure water gun (19) on the bottom wall of the laying vehicle body (1) sweeps the seabed silt into a groove shape, when the laying vehicle body (1) runs to the preset fixed node, the magnetic attraction device (12) will release the attraction to the last positioning frame (6) in the laying vehicle body (1), so that the positioning frame (6) can sink into the groove, the lifting cylinder (622) and the positioning motor (623) are started, and the positioning drill bit (624) is driven to run, and the positioning frame (6) is fixed; Repeat the above steps until only the last positioning frame (6) in the laying vehicle body (1) is left; Start the locking cylinder (64) to fold the upper frame body (61) and the lower frame body (62), so as to fix the submarine cable (8) and reduce the offset amplitude; When the laying ship (7) drives to the near shore, the laying ship (7) will drive in S shape, complete the laying of the remaining part of the submarine cable (8), the end of the submarine cable (8) is provided with a clamping structure, so that the submarine cable (8) will not fall off from the last positioning frame (6), the traction vehicle body (2) will drive the laying vehicle body (1) and the end of the submarine cable (8) to land, and the staff on the shore will connect the end of the submarine cable (8) with the landing starting end (10); After the connection is completed, the laying vehicle body (1) and the traction vehicle body (2) are recovered, and the construction is completed.

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